Trunk



3 Sheets- Sheet 1.

Patented May 24, 1898.

P. H.SMITH.I

TRUNK.

(No Model.)

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

P. H. SMITH.

TRUNK. Y No. 604,430.. Patented May ,24, 1898.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL H. SMITH, OF' COLUMBUS, OHIO.

TRUNK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 604,430, dated May 24,1898. Application iile'dApril 2,1897. Serial No. 630,400. (Nolmodel.)

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, PAUL H. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Trunks; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and usethe same.

The object of my invention is to make improvements upon the constructionof trunks shown and described in my formerV patents, No. 580,193, datedApril 6, 1897, and No. 563,624, dated July 7, 1896.

My invention consists in the various features of construction andcombinations of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed; but

I do not wish it understood that I confine myself to the precise formand arrangements of parts shown, as they are susceptible of variationwithout departing from the scope of my invention.

Figure 1 is a partly-sectional view taken centrally and longitudinallyon the vertical' plane indicated by the lines Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a topplan View, the upper tray and the table being removed and the lower traybeing broken away at Vthe left-hand end. This view also illustrates inplan view my improved packerr in position in the trunk. Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional view taken on a plane indicated by the line y y ofFig. 1, illustrating the lever for elevating the trays. Fig. 4 is adetail perspective illustrating the construction at the upper end of thetube that supports the lower tray. Fig. 5 is a'detail perspective viewillustrating the block that supports the spindle of the upper tray. Fig.6 is a detail perspective view showing the cap that covers the openingat the back of the mainv tray-supporting tube. Fig. 7is an endelevation, partially in section, illustrating my improved mode ofsustaining in horizontal position the tray that is hinged in the lid ofthe trunk and also a side elevation of my improved packer in position inthe trunk. Figs. 8 andV 9 are end elevation and sectional views,respectively, showing the construction of the left-hand ends of thetrays; and Fig. 10 is a detail perspective illustrating the constructionof the head of the spindle or rod that sup ports the upper tray.

l designates the body of the trunk, which is of substantially the usualform. At the middle of one end of the trunk, preferably the right-handend, as shown, I secure vertically the main tray-supporting tube 2. Thistube is longitudinally open at its front and back and is formed as a boxor case, with walls 3-3 extending parallel on the tube on either side ofthe opening at the back. The Walls 3 are provided withlaterally-projecting ears by which the device is fastened to the end ofthe trunk. Within the main tube 2, and when sufficiently elevatedturning freely therein, is another tube 4, that has extendinghorizontally from its upper part an arm 5, at the end of which is across-piece 6, upon which the tray rests. Extending perpendicularlyupward from the arm 5 is a metallic frame consisting of the wall 7 andthe rearwardlyextending walls 8 8, from which extend laterally inopposite directions the forks 9 9.

The wooden pieces 10 10, constituting the right-hand end wall of thelower tray 11, are tenoned to flt and be secured in these forks, asclearly shown in Fig. 2. The tray construction is further strengthenedby metallic braces, each consisting of a horizontally-extending portion12,diagonallyextending portion 12b, and vertically-extending portion12C. The vertical portion of this brace has its lower end bent inwardand fastened to the upper side of the bottom of the tray, in connectionwith a strip 12d across the under side thereof, and the horizontalportion is bent around the edge of and fastened to the end board, whilethe diagonal portion extends down to the corner of the tray, allsubstantially as indicated in the drawings. The horizontal arm 5 passesthrough an opening-or slot 2a in the upper part of the tube 2.

Within the tube 4 and turning freely therein is a rod or spindle 13,that supportsvat its upper end a second tray 14, arranged above the tray11. Both the trays 1l and 14 are about the length of the trunk. The rodor spindle 13 has at its upper end the horizontal bar 5, at the innerend of which is a cross-piece 6, that supports the bottom of the uppertray, and at the other end the vertically-standing IOO fork 9a, theparts of which fit in tenons on opposite sides of the end piece of saidtray, as indicated in Fig. 10.

The lower ends of the tube 4 and spindle 13 rest upon a block ofsubstantially the form shown in Fig. -that is, having a cylindrical part15, that fits in the tube 2, and a shank or plane sided part 15b, thatpasses through the opening at the back of the tube 2. The upper part ofthe cylindrical part of the block constitutes a bearing to receive thelower end of the tube 4 and a socket-bearing to receive the conicalpoint of the lower end of the rod or spindle 13, and the under side ofthe block is made with a V or other shaped opening 15C, adapted for thepassage of a cord, as hereinafter explained.

Between the sides of the walls 3 3 are journaled two pulleys 16 and 17,one being in the upper part and one in the lower. Asuitable cord 21(preferably a small wire rope) is attached to part 15b of the block,passed upward over the pulley 16, down around and under the pulley 17,and thence through the opening at the under side of the block 15 andacross the bottom of the trunk to the opposite or left-hand end of thetrunk. At this end of the trunk the cord or rope is passed around ahorizontally-arranged pulley 18, and thence around a vertically-arrangedpulley or pulleys 19 to the lever 20. This lever 20, which is clearlyshown in Fig. 3, is pivoted to the end piece of the trunk and has at itsupper end a socket 20e, through which is passed a handled bar 20a, thatmay be raised to form an extension of the lever 2O to give greaterlength and therefore power to the lever and at the same time permit thepart 2Oa to be placed within the trunk without disconnecting it from thelever. The cord 21 may be attached either directly to the lever or to atension device consisting of an adjustable screw-eye 20", passed throughan ear 2Oc on the lever and held by a nut 20d. By this means the desiredtautness of the rope may be precisely obtained.

The left-hand end of the trunk is furnished with a vertical partition 22to prevent interference with the operation of the lever and pulleys andcords by things contained in the trunk proper. Upon the right hand orinner side of this partition I secure a tube 23 to receive the spindleor rod 24, that supports at its upper end a table 25. A coil-spring 26,encircling the spindle or rod 24, has its lower end fastened in the tubeand its upper end to the rod or spindle, so that normally said springshall lift said table -up beyond the upper edge of the trunk and turnthe same outward beyond the end of the trunk. In other words, when thetable is turned inward and pressed down into the trunk the spring isplaced under lateral tension and compressed, and therefore, when thetable is free, tends to lift the same and turn it outward.

The left-hand ends of the trays 11 and 14 are made with inclined edgesor are provided with inclined lips, as indicated in Figs; 8 and 9, sothat the upper tray may be easily turned oft' the lower, and so thatwhen the upper one is turned upon the lower one the latter shall afforda support for the former.

In Fig. 7 I have shown my improved mode of supporting a tray in the lidof the trunk. As in my former patent, the tray (designated herein as 27)is hinged to the front edge of the lid 28, and upon the lid itselfIhinge one or more angle-brackets 27 a, that when turned out support thetray in horizontal position and when turned down flat against the underside of the lid permit the tray to be folded into the lid. When thistray has been folded into the lid, it may be held there by a vsmallturn-button 28.

My improved packer consists of a main bar or stick that is divided nearits end into two parts 30 and 3l, hinged together, substantially asshown, with a turn-button 32 to hold the parts in line when straightenedout and a piece or bar 33, pivoted upon the longer part, so as to becapable of being turned to stand crosswise of the hinged part. The mainbar has pins projecting at its ends. The packer is put in place bybending the main bar at its hinged end and pressing it down, so that thepins penetrate the sides of the trunk, when it may be locked by turningthe button 32 over the joint, as indicated in Fig. 2.

By pulling the lever 2O toward the front of the trunk the block 15a and15b is raised and with it the tube 4 and spindle 13, thus elevating thetwo trays 11 and 14, and when the trays are raised above the upper edgeof the trunk these trays may be swung freely out to one side, in whichposition easy access may be had not only to the trays themselves, butalso to the interior of the trunk. When the trays are thus raised, thetable 25 rises automatically, and when the trays are turned off thetable the latter swings automatically out to one side.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that I have produced atrunk that, considering the convenience and capacity it affords, issimple and economical in construction.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a trunk of the kind described, a tube for containing atray-holding tube or spindle having alongitudinal opening at itsinnerside and a longitudinal opening at its outer side, webs or wallsprojecting from each side of said opening at the outer side, pulleysjournaled between said walls, and a cord for raising said tube orspindle passed around said pulleys, substantially as set forth.

2.. In a trunk of the kind described, a tube for containing atray-holding tube or spindle having a longitudinal opening at one side,pulleys journaled in said tube, a block comprising the parts 15n and 15bsupporting the IOO IIO

tray-holding tube or spindle, a cord attached to said block and passingover said pulleys, substantially as described.

3. In a trunk of the kind described, a tube containing a tray-supportingspindle, a cord and pulleys for elevating said spindle, a lever 2O foroperating said cord having one arm connected with the cord and the otherarm having a'socket 20e extending through the arm, and a handle-barmovable in said socket so as to form an extension to the lever and to becontained within the trunk without disconnecting said lever and handle,substantially as shown and described.

4. In a trunk, the combination with a vertical tube or spindle having ahorizontal bar 5n at its upper end and a fork 9, the parts of which forkare adapted to engage the opposite sides of the end board of a tray,substantially as described.

5. The combination with a vertical tube or spindle having a horizontalbar at its upper end, of a frame consisting of a Wall 7,rearwardly-extending walls 8, and laterally-extending forks 9,substantially as described.

6. In a trunk, a tray having metallic side braces consisting of ahorizontal portion 12L extending from the opposite corners of the end ofsaid tray along the upper edges thereof, a portion 12b extendingdiagonally downward toward the lower corners of the tray, verticalportions l2c extending to the bottom of the tray, and a transverse bar12d across the bottom of the tray connecting the lower ends of portions12, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my name in the presence oftwo witnesses.

PAU'L I-I. SMITH.

Witnesses:

GEO. M. FINCKEL, GEO. J. GUNN.

